Allison B. Hudson: Adidas and their 'shackle' sneakers

Allison B. Hudson

Wednesday

Jun 27, 2012 at 12:01 AMJun 27, 2012 at 4:48 AM

I was browsing the Internet, and an ad came up about some new shoes. Usually, at the site of new shoes, I get excited, and I sometimes tend to overspend on really cute shoes, but this was an exception that made me very angry.

I was browsing the Internet, and an ad came up about some new shoes.

Usually, at the site of new shoes, I get excited, and I sometimes tend to overspend on really cute shoes, but this was an exception that made me very angry.

Adidas sneakers have been accused of promoting racism with their new purple and yellow “shackle” sneakers that were expected to hit stores in August. The tennis shoes that have bright-yellow shackles on the ankles were set to run $350.

These shoes caused uproar when Adidas started promoting the sneakers on their official Facebook page last week.

"Tighten up your style with the JS Roundhouse Mids, dropping in August. Got a sneaker game so hot, you lock your kicks to your ankles,” is what the quote read.

As I sat and read the quote at least 30 times, I still could not understand why someone would let this “new” sneaker style hit the streets.

I began to do some research and saw that the photo of the shoe had over 36,000 likes. However, more than half of the comments were people saying angry and disparaging things about the shoes.

I later found out that Jeremy Scott is the designer of the shoe, and he has been known for his unusual designs in fashion.

Now, I am never one to play the racism card, because I was not taught to judge anyone based on color, religion or race. However, I am not OK with this shoe being sold.

A few days went by, and the photo went viral, and more and more people began commenting on the design of the shoes.

It wasn’t until late Monday evening that Adidas stated, “Since the shoe debuted on our Facebook page ahead of its market release in August, Adidas has received both favorable and critical feedback. We apologize if people are offended by the design, and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace."

What is your opinion of the shoe? Do you feel it sends a racist message, or do you feel the design is just unique and unusual? I would love to hear your comments. Please send them to me at editor@dvillechief.brcoxmail.com.

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